The Arizona Daily Star, April 17, 2008
Arizona Film Festival

Phil Villarreal

Packing more than 90 films from 14 countries and powered by a staff of about 60 volunteers, the 17th Arizona International Film Festival is about to seize control of Tucson's indie film scene.

The festival runs today through April 27. Director Giulio Scalinger suggested five of the festival's can't-miss films:

'Hollywood Chinese'
1. (7:30 p.m. today at the Fox, 3 p.m. Saturday at Crossroads).

Writer/director Arthur Dong, a former Oscar nominee for best short documentary, will introduce the film, which examines the way Chinese have been portrayed by Hollywood.

'The Stone Angel'
2. (5 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Crossroads).

Director Kari Skogland, named in 2001 by the Hollywood Reporter as one of 10 directors to watch, made this drama starring Ellen Burstyn as a contentious older woman who seeks to make peace with her past.

'The Ostrich Testimonies'
3. (7:30 p.m. Saturday at Crossroads, 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Screening Room).

Documentarian Jonathan Vanballenberghe, a University of Arizona grad who was profiled in Caliente's "Local Scene" column in August, directs a documentary on the difficulties of raising ostriches, particularly those of Arizona rancher D.C. Cogburn.

'The Linguists'
4. (7: 30 p.m. April 25 at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center).

A 2008 Sundance Film Festival selection, the documentary by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger follows traveling scientists who are attempting to document dying languages. Kramer will sit in on a post-film panel discussion.

'The Flyboys'
5. (3 p.m. Sunday at Crossroads, 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Crossroads).

Referred to as "Sky Kids" by the IMDB, the adventure film is about two kids who board an airplane owned by mobsters. Stephen Baldwin and Tom Sizemore lead the cast. Producer Dan Urness ("States of Grace"), a UA graduate, will introduce the April 25 show.